The debate over aid to the Detroit-based automakers is awash with half-truths and misrepresentations that are endlessly repeated by everyone from members of Congress to journalists. Here are seven myths about the companies and their vehicles, and the reality in each case.

Myth No. 1: Nobody buys their vehiclesReality: General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC sold 8.5 million vehicles in the United States last year and millions more around the world. GM outsold Toyota by about 1.2 million vehicles in the United States last year and holds a U.S. lead over Toyota of nearly 700,000 so far this year. Globally, GM in 2007 remained the world's largest automaker, selling 9,369,524 vehicles worldwide -- about 3,000 more than Toyota.

Ford outsold Honda by about 850,000 and Nissan by more than 1.3 million vehicles in the United States last year.

Chrysler sold more vehicles here than Nissan and Hyundai combined in 2007 and so far this year.

Myth No. 2: They build unreliable junkReality: The creaky, leaky vehicles of the 1980s and '90s are long gone. Consumer Reports recently found that "Ford's reliability is now on par with good Japanese automakers."

J.D. Power rated the Chevrolet Malibu the highest-quality midsize sedan. Both the Malibu and Ford Fusion scored better than the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry.

Myth No. 3: They build gas-guzzlersReality: All of the Detroit Three build midsize sedans that the Environmental Protection Agency rates at 29-33 miles per gallon on the highway.

The most fuel-efficient Chevrolet Malibu gets 33 m.p.g. on the highway, 2 m.p.g. better than the best Honda Accord. The most fuel-efficient Ford Focus has the same highway fuel economy ratings as the most efficient Toyota Corolla. The most fuel-efficient Chevrolet Cobalt has the same city fuel economy and better highway fuel economy than the most efficient non-hybrid Honda Civic.

A recent study by Edmunds.com found that the Chevrolet Aveo subcompact is the least expensive car to buy and operate.

Myth No. 4: They already got a $25-billion bailoutReality: None of that money has been lent out and may not be for more than a year. In addition, it can, by law, be used only to invest in future vehicles and technology, so it has no effect on the shortage of operating cash the companies face because of the economic slowdown that's killing them now.

Myth No. 5: GM, Ford and Chrysler are idiots for investing in pickups and SUVs Reality: The domestics' lineup has been truck-heavy, but Toyota, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz and BMW have spent billions of dollars on pickups and SUVs because trucks are a large and historically profitable part of the auto industry.

The most fuel-efficient full-size pickups from GM, Ford and Chrysler all have higher EPA fuel-economy ratings than Toyota and Nissan's full-size pickups.

Myth No. 6: They don't build hybridsReality: The Detroit Three got into the hybrid business late, but Ford and GM each now offers more hybrid models than Honda or Nissan, with several more due to hit the road in early 2009.

Myth No. 7: Their union workers are lazy and overpaidReality: Chrysler tied Toyota as the most productive automaker in North America this year, according to the Harbour Report on manufacturing, which measures the amount of work done per employee. Eight of the 10 most productive vehicle assembly plants in North America belong to Chrysler, Ford or GM.

The oft-cited $70-an-hour wage and benefit figure for UAW workers inaccurately adds benefits that millions of retirees get to the pay of current workers, but divides the total only by current employees. That's like assuming you get your parents' retirement and Social Security benefits in addition to your own income.

Hourly pay for assembly line workers tops out around $28; benefits add about $14. New hires at the Detroit Three get $14 an hour. There's no pension or health care when they retire, but benefits raise their total hourly compensation to $29 while they're working. UAW wages are now comparable with Toyota workers, according to a Free Press analysis.

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Update: I have no clue what is up with the spacing between the text and the pics...sorry.Update II: That's a little better, but not perfect. Blogger changed how they insert carriage returns in the html code. Grrrrr.Update III: Blogger is gay.

With the debates going on, I know you all are ready for something disgusting, lifeless and smelly, to continue the American political tradition.

Now that is one big freaking groundhog, let me tell ya.

My brother Smike finally nailed it, after several attempts.

You may thing it was cute, but they are mean, nasty, ill-tempered property destroying pests.Bro smike had a heck of a time getting it, because it was so big the conibear trap would slip off around its head! He finally had to block alternate exits and reinforce one hole in the ground to force the little hellspawn to go further into the trap.

Next, a size 11 daisy stomper for reference.

This specimen went at about 21 pounds.A fitting end for a destructive little beyotch...

Ayup, that bugger is deader than the Constitution, the Posse Comitatus Act and Habeas Corpus combined!

Monday, September 29, 2008

Years pass on Animal Farm, and the pigs become more and more like human beings—walking upright, carrying whips, and wearing clothes. Eventually, the seven principles of Animalism, known as the Seven Commandments and inscribed on the side of the barn, become reduced to a single principle reading “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

snip

Looking in at the party of elites through the farmhouse window, the common animals can no longer tell which are the pigs and which are the human beings.

Friday, September 26, 2008

"If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue oftheir money, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks andcorporations that will grow up around them (around the banks), will deprive thepeople of their property until their children will wake up homeless on thecontinent their fathers conquered."- Thomas Jefferson

And it came to pass, in the eighth year of the reign of the evil Bushthe Younger (The Ignorant), when the whole land from the Arabian desert to theshores of the Great Lakes had been laid barren, that a Child appeared in thewilderness.

The Child was blessed in looks and intellect. Scion of a simple family,offspring of a miraculous union, grandson of a typical white person and anAfrican peasant. And yea, as he grew, the Child walked in the path ofrighteousness, with only the occasional detour into the odd weed and a littleblow.

When he was twelve years old, they found him in the temple in the Cityof Chicago, arguing the finer points of community organisation with the ProphetJeremiah and the Elders. And the Elders were astonished at what they heard andsaid among themselves: “Verily, who is this Child that he opens our hearts andminds to the audacity of hope?”

In the great Battles of Caucus and Primary he smote the connivingHillary, wife of the deposed King Bill the Priapic and their barbarian hordes ofWorking Class Whites.

And so it was, in the fullness of time, before the harvest month of theappointed year, the Child ventured forth - for the first time - to bring thelight unto all the world.

He travelled fleet of foot and light of camel, with a small retinuethat consisted only of his loyal disciples from the tribe of the Media. Heventured first to the land of the Hindu Kush, where the Taleban had harbouredthe viper of al-Qaeda in their bosom, raining terror on all the world.Andthe Child spake and the tribes of Nato immediately loosed the Caveats that hadpreviously bound them. And in the great battle that ensued the forces of thelight were triumphant. For as long as the Child stood with his arms raisedaloft, the enemy suffered great blows and the threat of terror was no more.

From there he went forth to Mesopotamia where he was received by thegreat ruler al-Maliki, and al-Maliki spake unto him and blessed his SixteenMonth Troop Withdrawal Plan even as the imperial warrior Petraeus tried todestroy it.

And lo, in Mesopotamia, a miracle occurred. Even though the Great Surgeof Armour that the evil Bush had ordered had been a terrible mistake, a waste ofvital military resources and doomed to end in disaster, the Child's verypresence suddenly brought forth a great victory for the forces of the light.

And the Persians, who saw all this and were greatly fearful, longed tospeak with the Child and saw that the Child was the bringer of peace. At themention of his name they quickly laid aside their intrigues and beat theiruranium swords into civil nuclear energy ploughshares.

From there the Child went up to the city of Jerusalem, and entered through the gate seated on an ass. The crowds of network anchors who had followed him from afar cheered “Hosanna” and waved great palm fronds and strewed them at his feet.

In Jerusalem and in surrounding Palestine, the Child spake to theHebrews and the Arabs, as the Scripture had foretold. And in an instant, thelion lay down with the lamb, and the Israelites and Ishmaelites ended their longenmity and lived for ever after in peace.

As word spread throughout the land about the Child's wondrous works, peoples from all over flocked to hear him; Hittites and Abbasids; Obamacons and McCainiacs; Cameroonians and Blairites.

And they told of strange and wondrous things that greeted the news ofthe Child's journey. Around the world, global temperatures began to decline, andthe ocean levels fell and the great warming was over.

The Great Prophet Algore of Nobel and Oscar, who many had believed wasthe anointed one, smiled and told his followers that the Child was the onegenerations had been waiting for.

And there were other wonderful signs. In the city of the Street at theWall, spreads on interbank interest rates dropped like manna from Heaven andrates on credit default swaps fell to the ground as dead birds from the almondtree, and the people who had lived in foreclosure were able to borrow again.

Black gold gushed from the ground at prices well below $140 per barrel.In hospitals across the land the sick were cured even though they wereuninsured. And all because the Child had pronounced it.

And this is the testimony of one who speaks the truth and bears witnessto the truth so that you might believe. And he knows it is the truth for he sawit all on CNN and the BBC and in the pages of The New York Times.

Then the Child ventured forth from Israel and Palestine and steppedonto the shores of the Old Continent. In the land of Queen Angela of Merkel,vast multitudes gathered to hear his voice, and he preached to them at length.

But when he had finished speaking his disciples told him the crowd washungry, for they had had nothing to eat all the hours they had waited for him.And so the Child told his disciples to fetch some food but all they had wasfive loaves and a couple of frankfurters. So he took the bread and thefrankfurters and blessed them and told his disciples to feed the multitudes. Andwhen all had eaten their fill, the scraps filled twelve baskets.

Thence he travelled west to Mount Sarkozy. Even the beauteous PrincessCarla of the tribe of the Bruni was struck by awe and she was great in love withthe Child, but he was tempted not.

On the Seventh Day he walked across the Channel of the Angles to theancient land of the hooligans. There he was welcomed with open arms by the oncegreat prophet Blair and his successor, Gordon the Leper, and his successor,David the Golden One.

And suddenly, with the men appeared the archangel Gabriel and the wholehost of the heavenly choir, ranks of cherubim and seraphim, all praising God andsinging: “Yes, We Can.”

Thursday, July 17, 2008

"We learned the hard way thatoil and water do not mix on our coast," Pelosi told a key committee in 1996 asshe made her case for keeping the ban in place before a Congress then controlledby Republicans.

How many oil rig spills were there from Katrina? Umm...none?

How high does gasoline have to get before the Democrats will let us drill for oil?$5 a gallon?

$7?$10?$15?$50?Or is there no price they can't live with? No amount of lost jobs or cold or starving people that would sway them?

I just want to know what to expect.So how's about a number, Nancy (and Harry)?

Friday, July 11, 2008

A special meeting about Dallas County traffic tickets turned tense and bizarrethis afternoon.

County commissioners were discussing problems with thecentral collections office that is used to process traffic ticket paymentsand handle other paperwork normally done by the JP Courts.

Commissioner Kenneth Mayfield, who is white, said it seemed thatcentral collections "has become a black hole" because paperwork reportedlyhas become lost in the office.

Commissioner John Wiley Price, who is black, interrupted him with a loud"Excuse me!" He then corrected his colleague, saying the office has become a"white hole."

That prompted Judge Thomas Jones, who is black, to demandan apology from Mayfield for his racially insensitive analogy.

Mayfield shot back that it was a figure of speech and a science term. A black hole, according to Webster's, is perhaps "the invisible remains of a collapsed star, with anintense gravitational field from which neither light nor matter can escape."

Maybe it's an object that doesn't let intelligence escape, either.

I hope this post doesn't get me black-balled; that would be a black day.I wonder if Mexicans get mad when the power companies talk about "brown-outs"?Indians re Red China?Chinese re yellow-bellied liberals?

Anyhoo, it looks to be challenging, and then some. I printed out a few targets and wow.Itty-bitty animals on paper (but no paper tigers).I'm up for the challenge, though. I mean, losing builds character, right?

Monday, June 02, 2008

Remember these words when you here politicians telling you how it is in your best interests to be disarmed.

In a state of psychological weakness, weapons become a burden for the capitulating side. To defend oneself, one must also be ready to die; there is little such readiness in a society raised in the cult of material well-being. Nothing is left, then, but concessions, attempts to gain time and betrayal. - Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Monday, May 26, 2008

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

I've had a change of heart.And I'm big enough to admit when I'm wrong.

Taxpayers Government should help those who are disadvantaged.Seriously, dude.

And there is a very large group of people who need help right now.Lets face it: High gas prices disproportionally affect pickup truck, high-performance car and SUV drivers.Our household personally has an SUV, a pickup, a midsize car, and a 400HP Backupmobile.So lets buck up and help those in need.

The people who are getting the sweetest deal out of these high fuel prices are the car-less. (And I reckon the homeless, as they don't have to pay propane, fuel oil, electric or gas bills.)

So anyhoo, cash is good, but I'd settle for a prepaid debit/gas card.

Write your congressman right now!! I need to fill up tomorrow!!!

Thank you for your support of the whiny and gravely impacted.

Update: As the high cost of everything has impacted my freedomfunanti-UN necessary firearms budget, I will also accept firearms, accessories and ammo in lieu of fuel or fuel credits...

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

I ordered 200 rounds of 44 Magnum brass (to go with the old 629 and the new 1894 Marlin!) from Midway USA. I like Midway, they have decent prices, good sale prices, and a large selection of almost anything gun/hunting/reloading that one could need.

Well, they had Starline brass on sale, and when I got my order, it was 9 pieces short! Grrrr.

So I called Midway's customer service number (located conveniently on the invoice). I was on hold about 4.7 seconds, and then was connected to a customer service representative. Wow.

That was fast!!

And the kicker? He was an English-speaking customer service rep!! With an Amurican name: Don.

I told Don of my plight, and he was very understanding and polite. He asked me to wait a moment while he accessed the proper information on his computer. While he's looking, I politely enquire if it would behoove me to yell and curse, to help expedite matters.

His equally polite response was, no; it was neither necessary nor helpful.I told him I didn't figure it would be, but I always try to help out those helping me!

Don puts me on hold for about 6.3 seconds, and them comes back and instead of saying, I'll send you nine pieces of brass, he says, "How about I sell you 100 more pieces for half price, with no shipping costs?"

Uhhhh...more rounds? Whatever shall I do?Heh.

So, here I call up to b**ch about their service, and instead I give them more of my money.And happily.

That is some serious customer service. Make the customer happy, get more of his money.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Don't get me wrong, I would have loved to write the script for the big move to the big screen. Two-thirds of the way through, after the usual montage of tiresome romance, relationship babble in expensive restaurants and designer retail therapy, the four aging ghouls would be revealed to be vampires. That's right, the perfect blending of the Sexually Empowered '90s Woman and Dark Romance! And after two hours of this excruciating sensory torture, what man wouldn't pay to see a grand finale of the Unsexiest Woman Alive thrashing around screaming and spraying blood all over the place with a wooden stake hammered through her chest?

As for me, I'll take a slow-moving .45 to a gun fight any day. I absolutely despise a 9mm for defensive situations (yes, they will eventually kill but often not quickly enough to prevent the BG (bad guy) from doing you in first)and the .380 as well.

I don't know if I despise a 9mm, but it would not be my first choice, that is for sure.

45 ACP - Slow and heavy. The Teddy Kennedy of pistol rounds, at least from a physics standpoint. And a proven bad guy stopper.

I guess I'm just old-school. I like that late-1800's/early 1900's design. It has withstood the test of time, albeit with some modifications, but has remained basically the same gun it has been for the last 100 years or so.

Monday, May 05, 2008

The contest rules, targets and such can be found here: ePostal match: Pin Shooting Training(no passport needed, yet!). Manfred is the one calling the shots; It looks to be a challenging one, so we shall see what happens.

This reminds me of a conversation at the pistol club this evening:One of our premier, top shelf, dedicated shooter's was not at the range tonight.

Dialogue was as follows (approximately):K: Where's J.L: He can't make it tonight, he has a bridge game to go to.CUG: Forgo your weekly shooting with the guys to play bridge... (a litlle loudly) Well THAT doesn't sound gay at all.

Robert M. is an 18 year old libertarian (and Ron Paul supporter!). It's great to see young shooters, especially ones with cool revolvers! Go take out a young and/or new shooter this month; you'll both enjoy it, and it will help preserve our rights and heritage...

KD5NRH shot his targets while standing in a brier patch. That is dedication, too!!

Leon and Manfred are both blogger/shooters from France, and make Mr. C's ePostal contest an international event!!

Thor began shooting again a couple of months ago, after a 25 yr hiatus. And he did a dang fine job, too. Make sure to keep shooting, Thor; 25 years is too long!

"Saturday at the range it was 25 deg, 30 mph winds, blowing dust and dirt mixed with snow.Today at the range it was 72 deg, 5mph winds, slightly overcast.Springtime in the rockies. Took my daughter along, had great fun."

Sounds like good times (except for the wind). :)

And finally, I shot a perfect score on my two handed rimfire! Yay!! A rarity, to be sure.

Thanks to all the shooters for participating in the contest, and don't forget to enter the next contest (which should be announced soon(, hosted by our friends across the way at Armes et tir passion.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

America is sitting on top of a super massive 200 billion barrel Oil Field that could potentially make America Energy Independent and until now has largely gone unnoticed.

The US imported about 14 million barrels of Oil per day in 2007 , which means US consumers sent about $340 Billion Dollars over seas building palaces in Dubai and propping up unfriendly regimes around the World, if 200 billion barrels of oil at $90 a barrel are recovered in the high plains the added wealth to the US economy would be $18 Trillion Dollars which would go a long way in stabilizing the US trade deficit and could cut the cost of oil in half in the long run.

Why do I get the feeling nothing will come of this?You know Alaskans get a check every year for their oil. Can we do that here on the mainland?

The targets must be shot in pairs. You cannot shoot several target #1's, then shoot several target #2's and put together the best two. You can only submit one target pair per shooter/gun. You can shoot multiple entries, however, with different firearms.

You can shoot the match more than once if you don't like your score and want to try again, but remember to shoot the targets in sets.

SCORING: 10 shots per target, for a total of 20 shots per entry.Touching any object once will score.There are 7 large objects in a circular configuration in the center of the target (six aliens and a ship) -

These large objects are worth 1 point each.

There is also a row of small spaceships on the top (5) and bottom (4) of the target.These small objects are worth 2 points each.

Only one hit per object allowed. Multiple hits on a single object will only score once.

A perfect set will render a score of 38 points (2 X 9 ships, plus 1 alien or the 1 big ship = 19 points per target). This may take a little strategery, depending on what you're shooting.

Mark your individual scores for each target, target #1 total score, target #2 total score, the total score for both targets combined, and the name you want to use when listed in the results all on target #1 with a legible felt pen, along with the class and type of gun used.

Don't write your name on the target, only the name you want to appear in the results.Email the results to me at cugblog AT msn DOT com.

CLASSES:CLASS ONE: Rimfire - Iron Sight. Any rimfire handgun with no more than a 12" barrel. Optical sights such as red dots, lasers, or scopes are not allowed.

CLASS TWO: Rimfire - Optic Sight. Any rimfire handgun with no more than a 12" barrel. Red dots sights, lasers, or scopes can be used.

CLASS THREE: Centerfire - Iron Sight. Any centerfire handgun with no more than a 12" barrel. Optical sights such as red dots, lasers, or scopes are not allowed.

CLASS FOUR: Centerfire - Optic Sight. Any centerfire handgun with no more than a 12" barrel. Red dots sights, lasers, or scopes can be used.

ALTERNATE ENTRIES: If for whatever reason you cannot shoot the match in the manner described, shoot it anyway and send in your entry, but be sure to tell me what you did so I can include that info in the results.

MULTIPLE ENTRIES: You can enter more than once, in fact, it is encouraged. Shoot everything you own, and everything you can borrow! Take a buddy to the range, get him entered, then borrow his gun and enter that! The only restriction is that a shooter can only enter once for any given gun.

Different calibers in the same gun count as one gun. For example, .38SPL and .357MAG are considered as one, as would be .44SPL and .44MAG. Different guns of the same caliber and barrel length can be entered. A .22 conversion on a .45 frame counts as a second gun, so you can take off the conversion and shoot the .45 too.

PRIZES: My complete respect and adoration, as well as the respect of shooters (literally) across the globe, as well as a kudos on my site, which is read by millions ofthousands ofhundreds oftens ofsome people every day.

SUBMITTING YOUR ENTRY: Take a digital photo of (or scan) your targets, and email the image(s), along with:

And make sure you enter April's contest, hosted right here!! It will start April 7th, and go throught the 28th (or so). I'll try to have it posted by Friday, however, to give folks an extra weekend to shoot it.

Ok, I made up the part about enemy sniper-fire, but there is precedent...The local pistol range is closed due to remodeling. My backyard range was my last option, and it is SOGGY! And WINDY!! And a little rainy. (But no snipers.)

And, I shot twice as many rounds at the second target (the evil flies) as I was supposed to, most likely disqualifying myself. D'oh!!!

But I shot it, dangit! (Click to enlargificate)

Those stupid flies!! I shot 20 shots (one for each fly) and then realized it was a 10 shot target.I hit 11, so I gave myself a score of 5 (out of 10) on it, but I know it doesn't count.

Dang.

But I think given the conditions, 89 (out of a possible 100) is semi-respectable for the first target...

Guess who's hosting the next ePostal contest? Oh, yeah.At least this time I'll know what the rules are...

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Hashimoto's thyroiditus. And no, it was not the result of a ninja attack; it’s the guy’s name who discovered it.

The reason the doc was wondering is because this disorder (which is some sort of autoimmune thing) is usually accompanied by hypothyroidism (not enough go juice), or sometimes hyperthyroidism (too much of a good thing).Additionally, there are usually antibodies present that can easily be tested for with a blood test.

Curiously, I had none of these factors.

That's why there was the uncertainty of it all.

So I’m an odd duck, surprise surprise.

With only half my thyroid gone, and normal blood levels of the right stuff, that means no drugs for me. Yay!

In honor of Vox and his new book, I have set up my luxurious loaded libertarian lounge chair.(Click to immensify)

Note the heavy armament, stereophonic-Day tomes, as well as the fruity beverage sans Vox-appropriate ornamentation.(Sorry Vox, men aren't allowed to buy little drink-umbrella's in Ohio - it's a state law.)

Awwww...and look - you can even see the tips of the hollow-points in the revolver's cylinder on the right. That's so cute!

Hey, mom! I have a book for you!!

For the rest of you, you can learn much about the book (discussions and reviews pro and con, atheist, Christian, and other) here:

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

13 February 2008Saturn’s orange moon Titan has hundreds of times more liquid hydrocarbons than all the known oil and natural gas reserves on Earth, according to new Cassini data. Thehydrocarbons rain from the sky, collecting in vast deposits that form lakes anddunes.

Hydrocarbons. You know - organic material. On a moon that runs about -180 Celcius.How did all those dinosaurs and plants get on a moon of Saturn? Evolution? Aztec rocket ships? Was there moonal warming?

"We have determined that Titan's methane is not of biological origin, so it mustbe replenished by geologic processes on Titan, perhaps venting from a supply inthe interior that could have been trapped there as the moon formed," said Dr.Hasso Niemann of Goddard, principal investigator for the GCMS and lead author ofa paper on this research to appear in Nature on Dec. 8.

So the magic dinosaur story is still true here though, right? RIGHT??

Does this at least leave the possibility of terrestrial abiotic petroleum production on the table?

Monday, March 17, 2008

My new smiley-face over a beautiful sunset of black blue orange purple and yellow...

Ahhh....the colors of springtime...

Yeah, it hurts some.Wah. I'll get over it.

And thanks for all of your concern and prayers and good wishes. Really.

Follow-up appointment Thursday to see what the lab work says as to what removed mass consisted of.My guess - It's nothing, and I'll be needing more beer and salt-laden pork-products in my diet.

But to business.This gun used to be mine, now it belongs to a friend who wishes to sell it.

Sadly, I cannot afford to buy it back. (Very sadly!)

It's a stainless Kahr Arms MK 40 in 40 S and W.Mag capacity is 5 + 1 or 6 +1, depending on which magazine you use (with or without grip extension). One of each magazine is included.

This is a nice carry piece to be sure. VERY small, with a lot of punch.It is probably 98-99%, well cared for, and an excellent shooter.It's also very pleasing to the eye and hand, and honestly, it's just a dang pleasure to shoot.

Let me know if you're interested.Of course, all state and federal regulations must be followed, so if you're out of state (Ohio), it has to be an FFL to FFL transfer. Sorry. Vote for Ron Paul next time...

BTW, the serial number is intact, but has been digitally obfuscated for this posting, for obvious privacy reasons.

Thursday, March 06, 2008

On the biopsy results, so far, so good. Negative results for cancer but not conclusive.Surgery is next week to remove half of my thyroid, and after the wet work, they'll take the squishy stuff and give it a good once-over, just to make sure. Should be cool.Not off the hook yet, but close.

And thanks so much for your well-wishes and prayers.Wow. God bless you all. :)

And now for the REALLY IMPORTANT UPDATE:

THE FIRST ePOSTAL CONTEST OF THE NEW SEASON IS UP AT MR. COMPLETELY'S PLACE!!!WOO-HOO!!!OH YEAHHHH!!!!SuWeeeeet!!!!(add your own exclamation here _________!!!!!)

This is perfect!Cordite - known to shrink nodular growths.Loud percussive noises - proven to be relaxing and therapeutic.Speeding lead projectiles - HAPPY HAPPY!!!

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

When sexual assaults started rising in Orlando, Fla., in 1966, police officers noticed women were arming themselves, so they launched a firearms safety course for them. Over the next 12 months, sexual assaults plummeted by 88 percent, burglaries fell by 25 percent and not one of the 2,500 women who took the course fired a gun in a confrontation.

And that, says a new brief submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court by police officers and prosecutors in a controversial gun-ban dispute, is why gun ownership is important and should be available to individuals in the United States.

The arguments come in an amicus brief submitted by the Law Enforcement Alliance of America, whose spokesman, Ted Deeds, told WND there now are 92 different law enforcement voices speaking together to the Supreme Court in the Heller case.

"Guns save lives," the brief said. "In the hands of law-abiding citizens, guns provide very substantial public safety benefits. In all 50 states – but not the District – it is lawful to use firearms for defense against home invaders. The legal ownership of firearms for home defense is an important reason why the American rate of home invasion burglaries is far lower than in countries which prohibit or discourage home handgun defense."

I realize this comes as no surprise to most readers here, but it's nice to see in print once in a while...

A student-run magazine at UCLA has revealed an undercover investigation in which representatives of Planned Parenthood, the nation's abortion industry leader, admitted willingness to accepting a financial donation targeting the destruction of an unborn black baby.

snip

The Advocate released a transcript of a conversation between an actor presuming to be a racist and wanting to make a donation, and a woman identified as Autumn Kersey, vice president of marketing for Planned Parenthood of Idaho.

Actor: I want to specify that abortion to help a minority group, would that be possible?

Planned Parenthood: Absolutely.

Actor: Like the black community for example?

Planned Parenthood: Certainly.

Actor: The abortion – I can give money specifically for a black baby, that would be the purpose?

Planned Parenthood: Absolutely. If you wanted to designate that your gift be used to help an African-American woman in need, then we would certainly make sure that the gift was earmarked for that purpose.

Actor: Great, because I really faced trouble with affirmative action, and I don't want my kids to be disadvantaged against black kids. I just had a baby; I want to put it in his name.

Planned Parenthood: Yes, absolutely.

Actor: And we don't, you know we just think, the less black kids out there the better. Planned Parenthood: (Laughs) Understandable, understandable.

Actor: Right. I want to protect my son, so he can get into college.

Planned Parenthood: All right. Excuse my hesitation, this is the first time I've had a donor call and make this kind of request, so I'm excited, and want to make sure I don't leave anything out.

Keep this in mind when you vote for the protectors of "tax-payer financed murder/genocide" "a womans right to choose".

Saturday, March 01, 2008

I've argued that what now passes for "school" is nothing more than a statist propaganda factory meant to intellectually cripple children for a long time, but now a California appeals court has confirmed this to be the case:

A California court has ruled that several children in one homeschool family must be enrolled in a public school or "legally qualified" private school, and must attend, sending ripples of shock into the nation's homeschooling advocates as the family reviews its options for appeal.... Specifically, the appeals court said, the trial court had found that "keeping the children at home deprived them of situations where (1) they could interact with people outside the family, (2) there are people who could provide help if something is amiss in the children's lives, and (3) they could develop emotionally in a broader world than the parents' 'cloistered' setting."

There are few things more mindlessly cruel than sentencing a child to public school. The school Nazis know their factories are under threat, which is why they are ratcheting up the pressure on families who don't obediently send their children to the intellectual death showers.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

North American Army created without OK by CongressIn a ceremony that received virtually no attention in the American media, the United States and Canada signed a military agreement Feb. 14 allowing the armed forces from one nation to support the armed forces of the other nation during a domestic civil emergency, even one that does not involve a cross-border crisis.

Sovereignty shmovereignty.All we need now is the south for the North American (Union) Army (or would it be Confederate?!?!?!?).Once we add the Mexican army...wait, they already tread on our soil.I really like the vague "domestic civil emergency" line, too.

U.S. Northern Command, Canada Command establish new bilateral Civil Assistance Plan“This document is a unique, bilateral military plan to align our respective national military plans to respond quickly to the other nation's requests for military support of civil authorities,” Renuart said. “Unity of effort during bilateral support for civil support operations such as floods, forest fires, hurricanes, earthquakes and effects of a terrorist attack, in order to save lives, prevent human suffering and mitigate damage to property, is of the highest importance, and we need to be able to have forces that are flexible and adaptive to support rapid decision-making in a collaborative environment.”

And the coolest part? Congress wasn't even involved! No need for constitutional trivialities when there are brown people ready to do us in at every turn! If you're for liberty, than you're for the terrorists!!! Between this, thedetentionfacilities, and the general militarization of our police force, it's looking uglier all the time.

And what a great way to prepare people for other foreign troops on their soil later. It's perfect; start out with English speaking Caucasians, and then ultimately graduate to blue helmeted, socialist child rapists after that!!

Another reason foreign troops are useful is they are far more likely to fire upon people that are not of their own country. I wonder if the Canadians torture people to get information...?I know it's ok for us to torture people, but does that logically extend to Canuks torturing us for our own good?

Additionally, the Posse Comitatus Act doesn't say anything about troops from other governments, so this is an awesome tactic to circumvent that as well (but I guess Waco showed us that it didn't really matter that much anyway).

Curiously, I have seen nothing about this in the mainstream US press.This is a big deal.It has made a minor splash in the Canadian press, an interesting article, BTW; here's an excerpt:

Canada Command spokesman Commander David Scanlon said it will be up to civilian authorities in both countries whether military assistance is requested or even used. He said the agreement is "benign" and simply sets the stage for military-to-military co-operation if the governments approve.

Ah, it's benign. Stage setting and all. And hey, the government has to approve it!! I mean, we can trust the Lizard Queen, B. Hussein, and McInsane, right?Forget I said anything.